Kochi Corporation honours Kerala’s 1973 team which won the Santosh Trophy for the first time

Victor Manjila and the 1973 Kerala team along with Olympian Simon Sunderaraj, the team’s chief coach then, were honoured by the Corporation of Kochi on the 50th anniversary of that maiden Santosh Trophy triumph.

Stars of the Kerala football team which won the 1973 Santosh Trophy, the State’s first-ever triumph in the National football championship celebrate the 50th anniversary of that victory. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat/ The Hindu

As Victor Manjila met up with his fellow teammates who had helped Kerala win the Santosh Trophy National football championship for the first time, in 1973 in Kochi, he opened up about how much the game has changed now.

“We are more popular now than then,” the former Indian goalkeeper told Sportstar at the Maharaja’s College here on Wednesday evening.

A lot has changed now, Indian football now has the Indian Super League and the I-League and players are paid handsomely, but Manjila is happy that he is part of the sport’s past.

“If we see the scenario now, I think were lucky. When we played, people knew us well, they knew where we came, which club we played for. That is because we had so many all-India tournaments then.

“Now if we ask somebody, who was the captain of the Kerala Santosh Trophy team which won last year, nobody will know. Even I don’t know. That’s the difference...now people only know K.P. Rahul or Sahal Samad...only about four or five players. That is the pathetic condition.”

Olympian Simon Sunderaraj, the chief coach of Kerala’s 1973 Santosh Trophy team. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat/ The Hindu

Manjila and the 1973 Kerala team along with Olympian Simon Sunderaraj, the team’s chief coach then, were honoured by the Corporation of Kochi on the 50 ^th anniversary of that maiden Santosh Trophy triumph. The Santosh Trophy was the biggest prize in Indian football back then and Kerala has won the title seven times but the first one was the sweetest.

“We are not honouring them, Kochi is honoured that they are here today,” said Mayor N. Anilkumar during the function at the Durbar Hall ground.

“I haven’t seen them play, in fact I was not even born when they won that Santosh Trophy that year but the stories I heard about their feat have inspired me and all of Kochi.”

The Kerala stars were taken in a colourful procession from the Maharaja’s Stadium, the venue of their historic 1973 triumph, to the Durbar Hall ground. And they were presented mementoes and a cash award of Rs 25,000 each.

Sunderaraj, who came to Kochi from Thanjavur, felt the sport should give importance to senior players too.

“After (world body) FIFA made Olympic football an under-23 event, the (national body) AIFF made the Santosh Trophy an under-23 event (in 1990, the AIFF changed that decision three years later). That was the biggest mistake of the AIFF,” said Sunderaraj, a star who played in the 1960 Rome Olympics. India has never played in the Olympics after that.

“Without seniors you cannot develop juniors. Back in 1973, we had only four senior players, two forwards and two half backs ...rest were all juniors.”

Hibi Eden, MP, Kerala Football Association president Navas Meeran and former KFA president K.M.I. Mather were among those attended the function.

Earlier in the afternoon, the 1973 stars had an interaction with young footballers at the Corporation Council Hall here.